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OUR HISTOHY. 



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In presenting: the reader this little history of myself and brothel'.*, 
it will be remembered that persons reared in a frontier country, such 
as Texas, are not expected to be blessed -with an education sufficient 
to be able to give a glowins; account of themselves as it would be 
with one well educated; but, be it understood, just at this point, 
rous^h as I am, I am ijoing to give the reader of this some facts con- 
cerning the Texas Giant Family and the Lone Star State. Never 
havinjj attempted anythino- of the kind before, it will, probably, be 
the more interesting, from the fact that you are now reading the 
writer's first attempt at anything of the kind, and you can thereby 
assure yourself that he will deal in facts only, as he has neither the 
power- nor the will to excite the reader's imagination by glowing 
descriptions of Indian massacres, of which he was the only one of the 
family who survived, and, after several years of captivity, made good 
his BTcape, or something of the kind; but it is my intention, as before 
stated, to give you the naked facts as they are. Hoping, with the fore- 
going remarks before our readers .that tliey can see the surroundings 
of the writer clearly enough to realize the sad misfortune under 
which he labors, I will now proceed to to give you a brief history of 
our family. You will please pardon me for mentioning;^ some facts in 
relation to our foreparents, as well as 

OUK FATHER AND MOTHER. 

Our mother's maiden name was Anderson. Her father, Starling 
Anderson was a man of fine form, (i feet 6 inches high, and weighed 
227 pounds; was of Irish parentage, though born and raised in 
America. His wife, strange as it may seem, was a very small women 
weighing about 105 pounds, of English descent, the only one of my 
grandparents whom I have any rememberauce. The first account 
that I now have is that they were in the good old State of Georgia, 
in which State my grandfuther died, leaving my grandmother the 
sole supporter and protector of five children — three sons and two 
daughters, (the youngest of which was my mother), with but little 



help, except a few slaves, the exact number I don't recollect. She, 
with her little family, in the year 1829, emii^rated to Alabama, in 
which Stat'i my fatlier and mother were married on the 25th daj- of 
December, 1835. 

I have given you a brief outline of my mothers parents; I will 
now give you a few words coacerning- my father and his parents. My 
grandfather Shields was a man between 64 and 7 feet. I don't know 
his weight. My grandmother Shields was a verj' large woman, weigh- 
ing something over 200 pounds; so you will see that we came from 
a family of very large people; our foreparents all being very large 
as well as our ather and mother. Our father being a man 6 feet and 
61 inches; our mother being over the medium hight and weighing 
over 200 pounds, and the fact that presents itself to the reader's mind 
is, that we are from a family of Giants and not a freak of Nature, as 
is the case with most of the Giants now on exhibition. But to return 
to the subject of my father's whereabouts in his youth. He, also, was 
born in the State of Georgia; moving to Alabama with his father ai a 
very early age — perhaps about the year 1818 or 1819, which was, at 
that time a wilderness and frontier, there being plenty of Indians. 
I think this will suffice for that branch of the subject, so I will give 
you a history of ourselves, which, from the fact that we are all young, 
will necessarily be short, plain and simple. In attempting to give 
you our history, I will, also, give you some items concerning the seven 
of us. 

There are seven brothers in all; never having been blessed with a 
sister to make it a place of pleasure and comfort, which task was left 
for our dear old mother who now lies quietly resting under the sod on 
one of the beautiful flower-decked prairies of our good and noble 
State — Texas — where her spirit, reposing, as we trust, and basking in 
the heavenly breezes on the other shore: 

Gone to heaven, there to rest 

And sing sweet songs forever bless'd. 

Now the reader may think it somewhat strange that a frontiers- 
man could have so much afiection for a mother, but those who have 
been so unfortunate as to lose a kind and loving mother, can fully 
realize the feelings which prompt me in pening a few words concern- 
ing that one. It is a fact that I have learned, that in a great many 
States there are very erroneous opinions concerning the people of 
Texas, which opinions I will try to set aright, in their proper place 
and time. 



3 

As before stated, there are seven boys, all of f?ij>-antie proportion. 
The four j-ou now see beina: the young-est of the seven. The three 
older ones l)ein<; still' on their farms in Texas, not wisliin:^ to lead 'he 
roaming life which we have chosen. Of our early youth there can 
not be much said of interest, only that we were, from early age, 
very tall, and so mnch so that we were /jreeted by our sclioolmates 
by a yell of "How are you, ]e<^s?" or something of that kind. It is 
true we received an education which was very limited, owing to the 
surrounding circumstances, which will be plainly seen as to myself 
by the reader of this little book; but I shall write this as though I 
were writing to a friend. 

Our father was a farmer; one that tilled the soil for support, though 
it is a fact that he raised some cattle, horses and hogs, but depended 
for support for himself and family principally on the products of 
the ground. We were, therefore, accustomed to hard labor during 
our early life. Our good and kind father at tlie same time giving his 
seven boys a chance to gain a limite'd education — though some of us 
did not improve our chance lo much advantage; being of a rather 
Wild turn of mind; choosing the open air of the health-giving prairies 
in preference to the solitude of the log cabin schoolhouse, such as 
Texas was once noted for, there confined and condemned to worry 
our patience and life out, as well as the amplest parts of our trousers 
on the then Texas schoolbench, which was very simple in mechanism, 
consisting of a log — generally an elm, cut the proper length and split 
open. One log would make two benches. Peel the bark off; smooth 
off the splinters; bore four holes — two at each end with a two-inch 
auger; insert four pegs about 18 inches long; turn the flat side up; 
then we had a splendid trouser-spoiler and a genuine boy-killer — and 
a girl killer loo, I supose, though never having been a girl, could not 
sajv 

Perhaps it would be of interest to our readers to give them a more 
minute description of the log cabin schoolhouse, in which some of 
us gained the greater part of our education. It was simply a log 
house; or I might with as much propriety say a log hut; necessarially 
very small, on account of the timber in this part of the State being 
very scarce and short; so the but had to be built in proportion to the 
length of the timber, some fourteen, some fifteen, and some as large 
as sixteen feet square; the larger ones being built, perhaps, by some 
one of a more ingenious mind who could plan better than otlu rs. Now, 
you may think it somewhat strange that there is any skill in building 



a log house larger, but uevertheless, ir is a fact. I will sjive you the 
plan. They were built with an old-fasliioned cliiinney, known as dirt 
and stick chimney, wilh a large fireplace, and, generally, a door on 
each side and window in the end, so the most of tlie logs are short, 
reaching from the several openings to the corners, and by this means 
a larger house can be built of logs of very inferior Icind. I will say 
just here, that it was in one of these Temples of Education that one 
of my brothers was attending school, taught by a splendid little man 
by the name of Evans, who was a very weakly man, so much so that 
his pupils were not at all afraid of him; andsomi' of the pranks played 
on him were too had. The one I will make mention of was that 
played by the brother I spoke of. He had disobeyed some of the 
teacher's rules and was promised that the next morning he would 
receive payment in full. So Frank, as that is the name of the one I 
am speaking of now, made his way to the schoolhouse before the 
teacher arrived and took the teacher's switch, or rather, pole, for he 
was uoted for never fooling his time away with anything less tlian 
about ten feet lonsr, and dug a hole in the ground, planted it, and 
grafted another onto it, making it a great deal longer than a common 
fishintr rod, and left it, he said, to grow. Now, imagine the indiii:na- 
tion of that little red-headed man as he viewed tb^ ground where his 
dear old pole had been planted So he raved and ranted and the pun- 
ishment he inflicted was to promote him to the office of assistant 
teacher. This same brother Frank was of a mischevious disposition, 
playing all kinds of pranks, such as penning the old goats and leaving 
the young ones in, would go and milk the old ones. On seeing th^ 
grown people kill hogs by striking them on the head with an ax, he 
goes to his mother's gourd-patch and with the assistance of a small 
negro to hold the hogs, as they called the gourds, while he would 
strike the gourd on the bottom and burst a hole in it, thereby ruining 
it. On seeina: sheep being sheared, he took all that were Kss than 
himself, being two brotliers and six or seven little uegros, away from 
the house and sheared them, the whole gnngstandintf round laughing 
and bleating with all their might while he was shearing. 

As I have fiveu you some incidents concerning Frank's youth, I 
will give you some facts about him up to the present. He was reared 
on the farm as was all of us. There he learned to plow the ground, 
plant, make rails, in fact, anything that came to hand on the farm, 
except to be anything of a mechanic, for in this he was entirely lack- 
ing. He could not even make a hoe-handle nor do anything that 
required the use of tools, though being willinff and ready always to<lo 
his part of any labor that was to be performed. He stayed with our 
father until he was twenty years old, at which age our father would 
set us free, as it is called, at which time he contracted with our father 
to make a crop, which he did with some success; after which he was 
married to one of the daughters of the Lone Star State; bought a farm 
of his own on which he farmed for some time up till he was induced 
to sell out and go to New York and place himself on exhibition for 
G. B. Bunnell, in his Museum, at corner of Ninth and Broadway, 
where Jack was on exhibition, and remained there six months. From 
there he went, in company with the ether three of us, to Boston, Mas- 
sachussetts, to the New Dime Museum then under the management 



of Bristol and Andrews, at wliicli place he was reunited with his wife 
and two children iifter a Lcrcvious parting some seven raonths before 
in Texas, which meetini^ was one of joy to father, mother, and chil- 
dren. Leaving Boston, we went to the Baltimore Museum for D. 
Herzofj;', where wo remaineil all the Ifith diiv of December, 1883, -when 
we concluded to spend the Christmas holidays in Texas amont^ our 
friends and relatives. 

Jack beinii" next in order, I must admit that in writing of him I will 
be compeled to sav that he, as well as myself, was not a very dear lover 
of hard labor, and not being ot a slout constitution our father g'ave 
him a better education than any of the four younsfcr boys, also i;;ivins 
him his freedom at an ea'-ly a^e. In the year 1879, I believe, he was 
induced to 2:0 with the Great London circus which came into Texas. 

On Itiavinif home in company with myself and two friends and goine: 
to Bonham, in B'annin county, Texas, which was a distance of '32 
miles, no one knew of any intention that he had of ooinsi' with the 
show. He said on the way that he believed he would make an 
euaratcement with the manajj;er and u;o op exhibition as a Giant, to 
which we paid as little heed as to many other remarks that were made 
as we sped on in our headlouir fliijht on our two-horse waa^on, over 
muddv roads; but to my surpi'ise he made an engagement to travel 
with the circus as a T^-xas Giant. Owing to the near approach of the 
close of the season lie did not stav with the show but a short while, 
when he returned home to make a short visit. After a few letters 
passed betwt-'en himself and J. L. Hutchinson, he made an engage- 
jnenfeto go on exhibition for him in the city of New York. He was 
on exhibition for Mr. Hutchinson for several months, when he again 
returned home — but iust here I must mention 'one fact that I feel is 
only just; that Mr. Hutchinson treated Jack as a brother during a 
case of measles that confined him to his bed for six long weeks, during 
which time he provided a physician and nurse and for which Jack now 
returns his thanks and extends his kindest wishes for his success. 
As I before stated, after filling his engagement he again came home, 
being tired of that kind of life. He thought of home and the com 
forts of home, so he concluded to have a home, and, as a matter of 
course, a home without a wife would be comfortless, lie made choice 
of a fair daughter of Texas — one he had known from his youth up. 
They were married and he embarked in the grocery business, which 
he soon found wa'^ a failure; then he again turned his mind museum- 
ward, it being a very easy task for him to make an engagement. He 
engaged with G. B. Bunnell to exhibit in his Museum in New York 
city and Brooklyn, being part of the time on Cony Island. After he 
had been v/ith G. B. Bunnell a short time he made known the fact to 
his "boss" that he was one of seven brothers, all of whom were of 
gigantic size. .Mr. Bunnell being a man of vast experience in the 
business of exhibiting curiosities, saw the point, so to speak, and had 
Jack write for another of his brothers; then one after another, until 
the four now on exhibition were induced to leave their homes and 
friends, who are most dear to us, and go on exhibition to satisfy the 
many visitors who come to the show to see the Four Great Giant 
Brothers. 

Shade comes nest, who is the third; and he was the third to engage 



6 

in Ihe show business; Frank beinar the second; and as I was tlie last, 
and bein;; the humble writer of this I shall write of myself last. 
Our good old father seeing it was to the interest of Shade to give him 
his freedom very early, he was, also, set at liberty at an early age. He 
being of farmerlike disposition, first tried the avocation to which 
lie had been reared — that of farming — atM'hich he was ver.- successful, 
making a very good gain ou his crops the first year, which so aroused 
his ambition for money-making that he looked f-.r a better field for 
making money than tilling the rich, black land with which Texas 
abounds; so he und'_-rtook the saloon business, which did not coin 
money foi' him as fast as he had expected; so tiring of this, he, also, 
took the show-business fever and took his flight to New York to add 
the third to the number of Texas Giants. 

Shade not finding one of the fair sex that exactly suited him or 
rather that he exactly suited, has never as yet known the blessedne-s 
of being a husband and father, but is still on the lookout for some 
fair one that he may suit. 

Now comes the worst and hardest part of the history to write; that 
is of myself. I think that I am as clear of egotism as most people ; 
and it will be a very timid task to give a few words in reference to 
myself; though to the tusk: 

I, like the balance of my younger brothers, was set at liberty one 
year before the regular time of setting boys fre3. I concluded to 
try the old home one year louirer; so I made a contract with my fitther 
to make a crop with him, but I, having a few "wild oats" to sow, in 
the summer sold out my crop to my father. My first money was made 
at work in a brickyard, and strange to say, and little did I think, for 
my future father-in-law, although tilings do turn out very strange. 

I then, at the commencement of the next year, began to learn the 
business of a blacksmithiug. I commenced with a man by the name 
of Pealer, who, after working a while in my old settlement, went to 
McKimmie, in Colin county. I worked there in the shop till along in 
the summer when the man with whom I had set in, took the western 
fever, and took a trip southwest and found the good place which you 
know is always ahead. So, after a short visit to my father and mother, 
we started for Coryell county, a distance of between two and three 
hundred miles, where I remained till December when I returned home 
to spend the Christmas holidays. On my return home I was induced 
to accept the humble position of assistant teacher in one of our Texas 
schools. After some experience as assistant I was offered full charge 
of another school which I accepted and managed, giving general 
satisfaction. After that I took other short terms, which were satis- 
factory in most cases. The experience I had ic teaching, taught me 
that the man who takes charge of the youthful minds of our country 
has a responsibility resting on him that rests not on the shoulders of 
any other class. 

The laws of Texas concerning schools underwent change after 
change, and, finally they were so arranged that the business was not 
lucrative enough, to induce me to continue longer, so I withdrew from 
that humble, but honorable occupation, and then was favored with 
the election to the office of County Commissioner, which office I was 
still filling to the best of my ability when I was induced to leave 



home and friends and place myself on exhibition with my three 
brothers, making' four on exhibition, which I suppose will be all that 
can be induced to leave their homes for the business of exhibition; 
the othiT three brothers, as I before stated, not being of that dispo- 
sition. 

Now young lady, if such the reader be, I would warn you just 
here, be sure you don't fall in love with the writer of this, for the fact 
is, I am a married man, possessin<;', as I think, one of the fairest of 
the fair sex; though that is only my opinion, a conviction that finds 
a resting place in the bosom of every man who is blessed with such a 
favor. 

My first appearance as a Giant was with Mr. Brattenburg, in his 
Museum on the' Bowery, in the city of New York, in the Fall of 1883. 
After filling my engagement with him, the four of us, now known as 
the Four Texas Giant Brothers, i7ere on exhibition for G. B. Bunnell, 
in Brooklyn, and at his Museum, corner of 19th street and Broadway, 
New York. From there we went to Boston, Mass, for Bristol & 
Andrews, at the New Dime Museum, at Horticultural Hall, on Tre- 
mont street. From there we went to Baltimore, Md., for D. Herzoij, 
in the Baltimore Museum, on West Baltimore street, at which time, 
as the Christmas holidays were approachioic, we refused any further 
engagements — which was very hard to do, — and started for our far-off 
home in Texas, and there remained till we started out in the Spring- 
to join the side-show which was to accompany P. T. Barnum's circus 
for the season of 1883. 

Now if our little history, short and simple as it has been, has satis- 
tied the curiosity arroused in your mind on seeing us, to know some- 
thing of our past history, then my aim is accomplished, and as a few 
words ceucerning the so-called "noble red man" of the West may be 
of interest, I will mention a few facts in regard to this much over- 
rated brute — if I am allowed to speak thus. In speaking of an Indian, 
I have reference only to the wild tribes as they now exist in their 
uncivilized state, and as the Camanches are the most noted tribe of 
this kind I will endeavor to drop a few remarks in reference to them, 
which, on account of the smallness of this little book, will be short. 
The Camanches are supposed to be a branch or subdivision of the 
Shoshone or Snake Nation, who, under various names or tribal appel- 
lations dominate the entire area from the borders of British America 
to the Eio Grande. Although these tribes are known by many difTer- 
ent names, such as Shoshones, Bonacks, Utahs, Lipans, Apaches, 
Navajoes, Pawnee-Picts, Camanches or Cayguas, they vary very little 
in their general customes. Until within a few years the Camanches 
were, without doubt, the most warlike and powerful tribe of Indians 
on the continent. With the Apaches, Navajoes and Lipans they 
formed a sort of Indian confederacy, rarely at war among themselves, 
but always with the white man; and when united, they were able to 
put a force in the field that would ride over a Texas frontiersman like 
a whirlwind, and, without hesitation, penetrate hundreds of miles into 
Mexico, desolating whole provinces, returning sated with slaughter 
and burdened with plunder. 

The marriage relations can hardly be said to exist among the 
Camanches. Each Chief or warrior, it is true, may have as many 



wives as he pleases, and they generally have a very good number, but 
the tie is not sacred as with us, and no cermony is required to legalize 
it. The Camanche procures his wife, or more properly his slave, by 

Eurchase, or, as by white captives, by force of arms, and disposes of 
er in the same manner. He has the same aversion to labor of any 
kind, which characterizes all ahorignal races. In the matter of diet 
he is by no means particular. One more fact I will mention concern- 
iug the red man: When a youth has arrived at the age of sixteen 
years it becomes necessary for him to "make his medicine." To this 
end he leaves his father's lodge and absents himself for one or two 
days and nights, entering the woods where he may be secure from 
interruption, seeks some quiet nook, and stretching himself upon- 
the ground remains in that position until he dreams of his medicine. 
During this time he abstains from food and water. When in his 
dreams the bird or animal that is to be his gUitrdian angel througli 
life appears to him and he fearns what to seek for, he retraces his 
steps and joins his family, who receive him with demonstrations of 
great joy. A feast is given in his honor, and he is treated with 
marked consideration. The festivities having come to an end, he 
arms himself witli bow and arrow, or takes his traps, whichever may 
be best adapted to secure the animal he seeks, and, leaving the village 
once more, goes in pursuit of his quarry, not returning until his hunt 
has been crowned v/ith success by procuring the animal souglit for; 
the skin of which is stuffed and religiously sealed. This charm is 
usually attached to the person, and is somtimes carried in the hand. 

The Indian will not sell his charm for any price. In battle he 
looks to it for protection from death, and if killed, expects it to con- 
duct him safely into the happy hunt'ng icrouml. As I stated in the 
first of this branch of the subject, I must be brief, so I must desist. 

As there is an opinion extant concerning oiir "cowboys," I feel 
it my duty to say a few words which i promise will be but few. 

The "Texas cowboy" is put down as a rough, rollicking, swearing 
dare-devil, anxious to gel some person's blood. At home, where he 
is known this is not the idea of him; but abroad he is believed to be 
as black a flend as pictured bv the ignorant scribblers who so often 
write him up. He is as gentle as any man; looks like a very modest 
fellow, and acts the same way; but if his honor is tackled he will fight 
until death. He is brave, without braggadocia, and he must be brave 
to lead the fearless life he has chosen. Yet, he is not quarrelsome, 
and takes many minor insults before he resents. They have done 
more in developing the wealth of Texas than any other class of men. 
It is true they formerly carried a perfect arsenal on their person when 
the State had many bands of marauding Indians; but that has past, 
as the laws of Texas have put a quietus ou carrying firearms. It is 
true that some cowboys, like factorymen and railroad men, are quar- 
relsome, but the number of roughs is as limited as in any other class 
of men. The cowboy is irenerally underrated by the public for igu 
to Texas, and he is branded as a rough withrmt a cause. Their friend- 
ship is enduring and they are always ready to give charity to all 
deserving poor. We ask our Northern friends to act slow in believing 
the blood-curdling stories often printed in their home papers and 
assigned to the depraved acts of cowboys. 



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